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Pittsburgh Penguins: Could Tyler Bozak Be An Option?

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 16: Tyler Bozak #42 of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets set to play against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 Stanley Cup Play-offs at the Air Canada Centre on April 16, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tyler Bozak
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 16: Tyler Bozak #42 of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets set to play against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 Stanley Cup Play-offs at the Air Canada Centre on April 16, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tyler Bozak /
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Free agency is coming up in just under a month, and the Pittsburgh Penguins need to continue thinking about who they should add or let go to improve.

One player the Pittsburgh Penguins could be looking to pick up is Toronto Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak.

Bozak will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season after having a cap hit of $4.2 million. His numbers have increased in recent seasons so I can see his cap space increasing, but not by much.

The Penguins have been needing a third-line centre all season. Bozak was one option that many people looked towards. Now that he is still available as a free agent, do we bite and try to sign him? Is he really a good option for us moving forward?

Do We Need Him Still?

Things have changed since the previous days when rumours about the Pens trading for him emerged. The Penguins were in desperate need of a third-line centre, and although everyone thought Bozak was the answer, the Penguins went and got Derick Brassard.

Now Brassard has shown inconsistencies in his play but unless he continues to fail to meet expectations, he should be the new permanent third line centre.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

Bozak, in my opinion, would actually be a better fit than Brassard, but we still have him signed for another season. Unless we can figure out a way to move him and take a chance on Bozak, we’ll most likely keep Brassard as our third line centre.

My Verdict

So in my opinion, no, we do not need Bozak right now. One could argue the Penguins should have waited out for free agency to improve that third line centre role, but as it is now, sticking with Brassard is the way to go. Signing Bozak could prove to be risky and hard-hitting on our cap space.

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